(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a surface-emitting semiconductor laser, a surface-emitting semiconductor laser device, an optical transmission apparatus, and an information processing apparatus.
(ii) Related Art
Surface-emitting semiconductor lasers are used as a light source of a communication apparatus or an image forming apparatus. The surface-emitting semiconductor laser used as such a light source works in a single transverse mode and requires high power and long lifetime. In a surface-emitting semiconductor laser of a selective oxidation type, the single transverse mode is acquired by reducing an oxide-aperture diameter of a current-confining layer up to about 2 to 3 microns, but it is difficult to stably acquire optical power of 3 mW or more with such a small oxide aperture.